Sri Lanka does not look confident and isn’t hungry enough in the middle, says Mahela Jayawardene

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Former Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene has claimed that fear of failure is one of the main reasons behind Sri Lanka’s poor run of form. It may be recalled here that after losing the one-day series to Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka lost the Test series to India and are now 1-0 down in the one-day series. This led to Jayawardene claiming that the Lankan side’s confidence is low and they don’t look hungry enough in the middle. Hence, he also called for an urgent need to address the problems plaguing the Lankan side and also finding solutions quickly.

“I feel the team’s confidence is low. The fear of failure factor has come out. They don’t look confident, they don’t look hungry enough in the middle. They need to address that and find solutions very quickly.”, Jayawardene said in an interview with Cricinfo and added, “Talking about the whitewash against India, Jayawardene said the team failed in all departments. I am sure the guys would be very disappointed with their performance in the Test series. It was a great challenge for them to test themselves against the number one team. They didn’t handle certain situations well. First innings batting too let them down when there was no demon in the wickets. They also never looked like getting 20 wickets.”

However, praising Indian skipper Virat Kohli, he said, “Look he is a pro active captain. He is very aggressive. He has a brilliant record to start with, though most of the games were played din India, you still have to win matches. He has led the team from the front so the rest of the boys are following on and off the field. The Test for them now will be playing away from home. They have created a good nucleus of players who are taking responsibility. There is good competition for batting and bowling positions.”

Lauding Hardik Pandya for his performance, he said, “He is an amazing talent, especially for the shorter formats of the game. To have someone who can bowl between 130 -140kmph is a great addition to the side. You saw his batting skills as well. He has the temperament to go big when he needs to. At the same time, he can bat for time. It gives India a lot of options.

“His value is no less as a fast bowler, said Jayawardene. He has given India the combination they were craving for. To have five bowlers with three quicks and two spinners. It lends a nice balance to the side,” he added.